The Township of Perth South is a lower-tier municipality in southwestern

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. It is in Perth County at the confluence of the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

and Avon rivers. The township was created on January 1, 1998 from the amalgamation of the former Township of Blanshard and the former Township of Downie. The land area of Perth South is 393.14 square kilometers. The population in 2016 was 3,810. Canada's ninth Prime Minister,

Arthur Meighen Arthur Meighen (; June 16, 1874 – August 5, 1960) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Canada from 1920 to 1921 and from June to September 1926. He led the Conservative Party from 1920 to 1926 and fro ...

, was born in Anderson, a community in Perth South.

Communities

The township encompasses the Villages of Sebringville and Kirkton. There are smaller settlement areas known as

Hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. Its size relative to a parish can depend on the administration and region. A hamlet may be considered to be a smaller settlement or subdivision or satellite entity to a lar ...

that include: Avonbank, Avonton, Conroy, Harmony, Prospect Hill, Rannoch, St. Pauls, Whalen Corners and Woodham. The township is composed predominantly of a mix of rural agricultural land and hamlet residential uses with a total land area of 39,202 hectares. The 2016 population was 3,810 persons in a land ara of 393.14 square kilometers. Agricultural uses represent one of the township's most significant economic and cultural assets.

Economy

Perth South is served by the Stratford & District Chamber of Commerce whose mandate is to maintain and improve trade and commerce and to provide the economic, commercial, tourist, agricultural, and environmental welfare of the region. Perth South is also a part of the Southwest Economic Alliance, an organization covering much of southwestern Ontario and designed to create partnerships between local government, educational institutions, the broader public sector, and the private sector. According to the 2011 National Household Survey, the largest economic sectors by number employed are manufacturing (430 workers); agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting (395 workers); construction (250 workers); and health care and social assistance (180 workers). Other industries employing 100 or more workers include wholesale trade; retail trade; finance and insurance; educational services; and health care and social assistance. All of Perth County is an agricultural area; mixed farming is the primary category while pork production is second. Food processing industries operate here, with 20 such companies (2012). Other businesses in Perth South include Maple Leaf Foods, Klomps Nursery, McCully’s Hill Farms, C’est Bon Cheese, McLean Taylor Construction, and Hoffmeyers Mill. There are also smaller companies that make products such cheeses and biofuels.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

, Perth South had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. Children aged 9 and under account for approximately 10% of the population, while the percentage at retirement age (65 and over) is approximately 12%. The median age is 41.7 years of age. According to the 2011 National Household Survey, only 6% of the population have immigrant status. The most common countries immigrants come from are the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

(36%) followed by the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

(15%) and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

(13%). The Survey indicated that the majority of residents of Perth South are members of a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

faith and account for 81.6% of the population with the remaining population reporting no religious affiliation. Of the religious population, the largest religious affiliation is

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

(27.7%) followed by

United Church A united church, also called a uniting church, is a church formed from the merger or other form of church union of two or more different Protestant Christian denominations. Historically, unions of Protestant churches were enforced by the state ...

(21.4%),

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

(18.8%),

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

(10.4%),

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

(0.5%), ko and other Christian (13.9%).

Government

Local government

Perth South is governed by a Township Council composed of seven members, including a mayor and deputy mayor. Council positions are held for a four-year term. The township's services include public works, building and bylaw enforcement, recreation and leisure, drainage, environmental, planning, fire, economic development, and emergency management. Police services were provided by the

Ontario Provincial Police The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is the provincial police service of Ontario, Canada. Under its provincial mandate, the OPP patrols provincial highways and waterways, protects provincial government buildings and officials, patrols unincorp ...

from the Perth headquarters in Sebringville, Ontario until November 5, 2018 when Stratford Police Service assumed responsibility.

Township Council 2018–2022

Perth County Council

The township also has representation on the Perth County Council, with two members. That Council is made up of representatives from the four Perth Townships. The head of County Council is elected from among the council members annually, by a vote at council and is known as the Warden. or 2018–2019, the Perth County Warden is Walter McKenzie. The 2018–2022 Perth County Council includes Robert Wilhelm and James Aitcheson from Perth South.

Provincial Government

Perth—Wellington is a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since the 2007 provincial election. It was created in 2003 from parts of Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey, Perth—Middlesex and Waterloo—Wellington ridings. It consists of the County of Perth, and the Town of Minto and the townships of Mapleton and Wellington North in the County of Wellington. Since 2014, the MPP for the riding has been Randy Pettapiece (PC).

Federal Government

Perth—Wellington is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. The riding was created in 2003 from parts of

Perth—Middlesex Perth—Middlesex was an electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2003 and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1999 to 2007. This riding was created in 1996 from parts ...

(76%),

Waterloo—Wellington Waterloo—Wellington was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2003. It continued to be a provincial electoral district represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario until the 2007 provincia ...

(17%) and

Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2004. Federal electoral district The federal riding was created as a result of redist ...

(7%) ridings. It did not undergo any boundary changes in the 2012 electoral redistribution. It consists of the County of Perth, the City of Stratford, the Town of St. Mary's and the Town of Minto and the townships of Mapleton and Wellington North in the County of Wellington. Since 2015, the MP for this riding has been

John Nater John Nater (born February 14, 1984) is a Canadian politician. He is currently serving as the Member of Parliament for the riding of Perth—Wellington in the House of Commons of Canada. Education and early life Nater was born in Logan Towns ...

(PC).

References

External links

* {{Communities in Perth County Lower-tier municipalities in Ontario Municipalities in Perth County, Ontario Township municipalities in Ontario Populated places established in 1998 1998 establishments in Ontario